The problem of designing high-speed flip-flops has been approached by dividing the circuit operation into steady-state and switching functions, the steady-state function being assigned to a slave flip-flop and the switching function to a driving circuit. Circuits, using conventional components and having a resolving time of 10mμsec, are described. Resolving times as low as 2mμsec have been attained by using a special beam-deflection tube as the slave flip-flop. These circuits dissipate considerably less power in the intervals between switching than conventional circuits.

Circuits for the recycling of pulses by means of a driving tube and an electromagnetic delay line have been developed, The necessary characteristic for the driving tube is shown and the effects of the delay line on the amplitude and width of pulses with respect to recycling operation are explained. Two modes of operation of these circuits are possible. One mode of operation allows any number of pulses in a recycling period, the number being limited only by the time space on the delay line. The other mode restricts the number of pulses in a recycling period to a particular value. Experimental circuits are shown which have been used as generators of pulses as short as 5 millimicroseconds at frequencies as high as 50 mc. Other circuits are shown which can be used as memory circuits for the storage of a number of these short pulses.